


Four Ways Rhys Would Have Liked to Spend Christmas and the One Way He Did

by akingnotaprincess



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Christmas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-11
Updated: 2011-01-11
Packaged: 2020-10-28 16:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20781341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akingnotaprincess/pseuds/akingnotaprincess
Summary: Christmas can't always go the way you planned when





	Four Ways Rhys Would Have Liked to Spend Christmas and the One Way He Did

The shrill sound of the alarm clock rang in his ears as he turned over, hand reaching out to find the damn thing to shut it off. He heard a bottle of water crash to the floor as he pushed it aside; a bag of Jelly Babies met the same fate. Cursing, he opened his eyes and slammed the alarm clock against the wall.

** _One…_ **

"Ah, shit," he murmured and rolled over to apologize to Gwen. "Honey, I'm—" Rhys was shocked to see that he wasn't faced with a note or an angry Gwen, but a Gwen who was resting peacefully. He smiled as he smoothed away a few strands of hair from her beautiful face. He was so lucky to have a girl like her. Gwen worked so hard and was so brave. Kissing her cheek, Rhys crawled out of bed, hoping not to disturb her.

"What time is it?" a sleepy Welsh voice asked.

Rhys cursed to himself. "Sorry love. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep." He leaned down to kiss Gwen's cheek, but surprisingly was pulled into a sloppy kiss. His eyes were wide. Gwen was never one for morning sex; this was like his dream come true. Her hand snaked down and roughly grabbed his crotch and began to massage his balls. 

"Let's just stay in today," she whispered hotly in his ear. "Merry Christmas, Rhys."

** _Two…_ **

"Ah, shit," he murmured and rolled over to apologize to Gwen. "Honey, I'm—" Rhys groaned into his pillow when he saw that Gwen's side of the bed was once again, empty. _Fucking Torchwood_, he thought. They were always taking her away for one reason or another. Didn't Special Ops get a day off for God's sake? It _was_ Christmas.

Rhys swung his legs over the side of the bed but before he could go and do anything else, there was a light knock on the door and Gwen poked her head in.

"What was that noise I heard, Rhys?"

He stood there, mouth agape feeling more confused than ever. "What are you doing here then?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "I live here, don't I?"

"You're not working?" Rhys asked in disbelief.

"Jack gave us all the day off. Thought I told you that last night…"

Rhys caught a whiff of something and sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

Gwen smiled brightly, the cute gap in her teeth showing. "I'm cooking breakfast for us. It's what me mam made for us on Christmas morning. I hope that's alright…"

He grinned and hugged her fiercely. "It's perfect, love."

** _Three…_ **

"Ah, shit," he murmured and rolled over to apologize to Gwen. "Honey, I'm—" Rhys glared at the empty side of the bed where his fiancé usually lay. "Nevermind then." He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Merry bloody Christmas to _me_."

He stumbled over to the living room and flopped himself down on the couch. Rhys snatched up a note that Gwen had left on the table.

Rhys, At work. Be back late. Love you. XOXO Gwen

Rhys growled, crumpled up the paper and tossed it into a nearby bin. Then he jumped what seemed like a mile in the air when he heard a buzzing sound. He scanned the room and found that his cell phone was vibrating on the coffee table. Without checking the caller id, he answered, "Hello, this is Rhys." And almost as if with an afterthought, "Oh yes, and Merry Christmas. Hope you're having a better one than me."

"You sound like shit mate. Did Gwen have work again?"

Rhys blinked. "Banana?"

"Who else?" his best friend answered too cheerfully. 

"Why the hell are you calling me?" Rhys was puzzled. "Shouldn't you be in Swansea with Kelly?"

"Shouldn't Gwen be there with you?" Banana shot back quickly.

Rhys frowned. "Touché." 

"Look," Banana said, "You wanna go down to the pub and get drunk or what? It's not like either of us has anything better to do today."

He glanced over to the bin where Gwen's crumpled note was, and looked to the refrigerator where their Christmas feast lay, waiting to be cooked. "Yeah, I'll meet you there in 10 minutes."

** _Four…_ **

"Ah, shit," he murmured and rolled over to apologize to Gwen. "Honey, I'm—"

"I'm not going, Jack!"

Rhys sat straight up in bed. He jumped out of bed and ran into the living room. Two familiar faces turned toward him. Rhys instantly noticed that Gwen's boss was holding onto her arm rather too firmly.

"Rhys," he commanded, "tell your _woman_ that she has to come into work today! It doesn't matter if it's Christmas or not!"

He stood dramatically in front of Jack Harkness, hands on his hips, chin held up high, a cape billowing behind him… "Don't you _ever_ talk about Gwen like that again you monster!" With lightning speed, the kind that only Superman would possess, he flew across the room and punched Jack right in the jaw, knocking him out cold. 

"My hero!" Gwen chimed in as she clung to his arm and gave him a peck on the cheek.

** _What really happened…_ **

Rhys groaned as he heard his alarm clock sound for the fifth time that morning. But sadly, all the previous times had been in his dreams. And what weird dreams they were, he thought as he slammed the clock against the wall just like he had in all his dreams.

"Ah, shit," he said, having a bit of a déjà vu moment. He rolled over to see if Gwen was still in bed, curious as to how reality would turn out compared to all his dreams. Sure enough, the other side was cold and empty. But there was a note. He picked up the note and read Gwen's distinctive hand. 

Rhys, Had emergency at work. Had to go in super early. WILL be home for dinner. Love you, XOXO Gwen

Rhys sighed. Oh well, dreams could come true, right? Well, it looked like he had some shopping to do for dinner…

Later that day, he had bought what was left of the grocery store's stock of cream of chicken soup and blood pudding. Rhys was humming Christmas carols to himself while pushing his shopping cart to his car. He was in good mood even though he might be cooking a big dinner for just himself. But this was Christmas. He waved to an elderly lady who was pushing her own shopping cart and she smiled back at him and said a croaky "Merry Christmas". His eyes widened as he saw that a large SUV was backing up and was about to hit the elderly woman. Forgetting his cart, he ran behind the woman and pulled her back, the car missing her by inches. 

"Oh thank you young man." The woman smiled a toothless grin. "I would have never seen that car. I forgot my glasses today. How can I ever repay you?"

Rhys shook his head. "Why don't I take you home? You shouldn't be driving without your glasses, after all."

The woman leaned forward and hugged him. "Oh, that would be lovely. My grandson can pick up my car later…"

Around eight o'clock at night, Gwen came home to sweet smells of roast turkey, fruit cake and other delightful foods. Rhys laughed when he saw the awestruck expression on her face. "Do you like what you see?"

"It's perfect," she chortled happily. 

Rhys escorted Gwen to her seat and pushed her in like a gentlemen before taking his own seat.

"What'd you get up to today?" Gwen asked between bites of turkey.

He smiled. "Oh, nothing much. You?"


End file.
